Written by

Drew MacFarlane

Staff Writer @DrewMacFarlane

Physically, he had to deal with a neck injury, but emotionally he was suffering each day, especially on Saturdays. Before games, Hunter would be seen in the locker room or lounge looking noticeably deflated with passing teammates stopping to comfort and encourage him to stay positive. Hunter was struggling with the pain of missing out on a chance to play the game he loved so very much.

Hunter, a Valdosta native, was born with a condition called cervical spinal stenosis, which causes the spinal canal to narrow towards the neck. While his condition hadn’t affected the mean style and amount of time he spent playing football, over the time his condition worsened until he experienced a hit during the game against Bethune-Cookman that took him out for the season.

Following surgery that placed him on the IR until spring, at best, Hunter returned to the locker room, his teammates and the game he loved, but in a different role.

“He’s like having another coach,” said head coach Jimbo Fisher to ESPN’s David Hale. “He knows it all inside and out.”

To cope with the pain of watching from the sidelines, Hunter picked up a role that helped both himself and his fellow defensive backs improve their game. Hunter took on the role of becoming a mentor to freshmen Jalen Ramsey and Nate Andrews, both of whom went on to have beyond successful first years. Hunter spent countless hours in the office, studying film and playbooks to better himself for his return, a return that looming only five Saturdays away.

“This upcoming season I will make everyone in the NATION respect me... #TheComeback,” Hunter said on his Twitter, @THunterOne

Picking Hunter as a player to watch was seemingly too easy. Last year, Hunter played a huge part in such a dynamic secondary without even stepping onto the field since that September meeting with BCU. This year, he’ll have some big shoes to fill with former members of the FSU secondary like Terrence Brooks and Lamarcus Joyner leaving for the NFL, but the expectations won’t scare him away from the spotlight.

“Every second in the locker room on game days, we can look him in the eye and see he wants to be out here as much as us,” Joyner, a second-round pick, said to ESPN last year following Hunter’s surgery and return to the sidelines. “He’s hungry, determined and ready to make the impact he wanted to make during his school’s national title run."

What needs to happen for Hunter, however, it to just stay healthy, which is much easier said than done Prior to his neck injury, Hunter had to have surgery during the spring to repair a knee injury, so missing time due to the injury bug isn’t exactly unfamiliar territory for No. 1.

However, Hunter’s paid his dues, spending entire days at a time watching tape and organizing his team’s 7-on-7 during the summer. He’s ready to go for 2014, willing to lead his team to another championship mission.

“He’s just getting a little sharp, getting ready to make a major come back next year,” former teammate and new Jaguar Telvin Smith said to the Orlando Sentinel. “A major, major comeback next year.”